


The Flower That Makes Humans Breathe Fire

by AvianTroubadour



Series: Angels With Scaly Wings -- Post TrueEnding fics [1]
Category: Angels with Scaly Wings (Visual Novel)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff, Gen, Short One Shot, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-03
Updated: 2018-05-03
Packaged: 2019-05-01 13:22:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,223
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14521461
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AvianTroubadour/pseuds/AvianTroubadour
Summary: A post-true-ending fic featuring a quiet evening in with the scientist dragon, Anna, and her friend, Alex Smith, former human ambassador to a world of dragons.





	The Flower That Makes Humans Breathe Fire

**Author's Note:**

> Aaaaaaa this is my first fic I've written in foreverrr. Angels With Scaly Wings reignited a spark I'd thought was long since gone. I absolutely loved it, and I adore the character of Anna, who I feel needs more fan content. So I sat down, and this just kind of happened. Thank you for taking the time to read my fic, and I hope you have an amazing day! <3

“What on earth is this?” Anna said, taking the root bulb in her claws and examining it more closely. Sniffing it lightly, she wrinkled her nose and scowled. “How on earth does this make a human breathe fire? That has to be some sort of human idiom.” 

“You are correct, Anna.” Alex replied. “It is an idiom that humans use to indicate that a kind of food has such a pungency that even long after its consumption, its bite can be smelled on someone’s breath, even for several hours afterward.”

Anna pinched the bridge of her snout and shook her head. “I should be unsurprised that your human cooking television programs are scientifically imprecise... It would explain the audience’s laughter after the chef commented on its enhancement of fire-breathing capabilities in humans.”

She slumped back on the sizable beanbag chair that Alex had kept in his apartment for the more human-sized dragons that would be inclined to sit, rather than lounge out somewhere. It was not ideal, but it was nicer on the tail than a lot of comparably comfortable human chairs. “Ugh. It’s going to take me a while to get used to things here. Cultural differences. Puns.”

“I don’t know, Anna. From what Lorem has shown me of your television programs, there doesn’t seem to be much more ‘precision’ in your shows either,” Alex said, taking the clove of garlic back from Anna.

Anna tossed a sideways glance away from Alex, half annoyed and half embarrassed. “Well, I didn’t really watch much television back home either. I suppose I overestimated us.” She said. 

“Regardless of the scientific accuracy of our culinary entertainment programming, I can assure you that, while garlic does not give humans what we might have previously called powers that were supernatural, the flavors it brings certainly are.” Alex said, taking the garlic back to the pile in the kitchen, which he began to prepare.

Anna rolled her eyes, but humored Alex’s enthusiasm. “Supernatural flavors? What, does it bring your ancestors back from the dead or something?” she said, leaning forward on her crossed forelimbs, watching Alex flit about the kitchen.

“No. More impressive than that. It has a flavor so intense and so useful across so many flavor profiles that even ‘why do humans put grass on everything’ Anna will be able to appreciate it.” Alex said, pulling out a knife from a wooden holding block, and reaching for the lamb-chops (the human equivalent of mouflon-chops) in the refrigerator.

Anna shuddered a little bit when she saw the knife. Even through the dull hazy memories of lives she never actually lived, the sharp sting of Reza’s attacks still came to her mind whenever she saw a human holding a knife. She frowned and tried to clear her mind, and looked back up. Instead of lingering on those feelings, she tried to focus on the satisfied smirk on Alex’s face. 

Alex was probably the only human she had met up to this point that she could tolerate seeing smirk. When she saw other humans smirk, it always seemed like they were being judgmental or had some nasty trick up their sleeve. Alex’s smirk, standing in the kitchen waving around some sort of stick of dairy fat, however, seemed more like an expression of mutual satisfaction. It was if he were smirking for the both of them, and not at anyone’s expense.

The unpleasant smell of Sulphur filled the air momentarily, concerning Anna as she recalled that the resettling committee had explained the human’s solution to natural gas leaks – heavily scenting the gas to make sure any unpleasant smells, and therefore dangerous leaks, were quickly whined about and addressed. 

As the ‘tick tick tick’ of the burner flickered on, the smell faded, and her worry fled. She watched in fascination as her human companion melted the fat in a pan before dropping the crushed garlic into it along with some crushed salt and the lamb.

“Normally, I would use a few other herbs and some olive oil for this too, but given your tastes, I’m keeping it simple” Alex said as he pressed the lambchops against the pan with a spatula. The scent of smoke, mingled with that of charred meat and garlic, began to waft through the air.   
Anna could not help but find herself salivating a little bit. Whether it was merely the promise of food or something more, she decided not to contemplate. While she doubted Alex’s faith in the flower-bulb that humans called garlic, she trusted him and was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt for now. He had surprised her before; perhaps she would be lucky this time as well.

Alex gleefully began to plate up the lambchops, slicing them thin against the grain of the meat, pouring the remaining garlic butter over the slices. As he carried them to the table nearby, Anna scooted up her beanbag chair to the table, awkwardly waddling it back and forth to bring it closer.

Alex seated himself and pushed his own plate to the side for a moment and waited. He leaned forward on his hands and watched. Despite the species differences, Anna was able to see a little bit of nervousness in his smile. The poor fellow was actually concerned she might not like it. He had vastly overestimated her standards, she thought, as she picked up a slice of the lamb between two of her claws and dropped it into her mouth. 

A contemplative look passed over Anna’s face as she chewed. She was beginning to wonder if somehow Alex had smuggled in some mouflon during the evacuation, or if their sheep were really that similar in taste. The dairy fat he had called butter added a pleasant depth that had not been present before. “Seasoning” and “spices” aside—she could get used to adding extra fat to a meat while it cooked. 

The charred garlic was fascinating. Human and dragon palates were similar enough that she understood why the humans might call garlic pungent, even if affectionately. It wasn’t bad. It certainly didn’t ruin the meal. New experiences as well, were hardly ever a bad thing. 

As she swallowed, she wondered what to say. She saw Alex waiting there in front of her with anticipation, hanging on for whatever reaction might offer. 

“I don’t hate it, Alex. I’m impressed,” she said. Alex sighed deeply. Had he been holding his breath? Anna guessed that he had been, and that finally, he was relieved enough to remember that he needed oxygen to function. “If this is something you want to prepare from time to time, I’ll certainly be glad to eat it.” 

Alex grinned from ear to ear, and began to chomp down on his own meal as well, looking rather satisfied with the fruit of his labor. The pair quietly enjoyed the rest of their meal, watching the way the other navigated the tasks of eating--the way the other’s species’ jaw handled this particular kind of food.

Whatever the evening was going to be, it had been educational—as the time spent between the pair often was. Anna looked forward to learning more about this strange new world, and maybe, just maybe, about a few of its inhabitants as well. She was glad to have Alex’s company for that adventure. 

\--[End]--


End file.
